Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s (OTA) $200 million line of credit application that was filed last week with the Council of Bond Oversight.
Attorneys for Norman homeowners and members of the nonprofit Pike Off OTA filed objections, which focused on the OTA’s lack of legal authority to build the turnpikes in Norman that could threaten the property and livelihoods of thousands of Oklahomans. The Norman Democrat said she hopes the Council of Bond Oversight realizes the serious legal defects in the OTA’s request for funding.
“It’s important that we demand that the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority obey statutory authority when asking to spend $5 billion over the next 15 years on projects that would displace thousands of Oklahomans and hundreds of homes and businesses,” Boren said. “Before we start making plans to build new turnpikes, we need to make sure OTA is obeying the laws that give citizens reasonable notice of projects.”
Boren has voiced her strong opposition in recent weeks to two proposed projects in her district. The first is a 29-mile southern extension of the Kickapoo Turnpike running from I-40 in Oklahoma City to I-35 near Purcell, which would run through the eastern part of Norman as well as through other nearby communities. The other project is a 28-mile outer loop east to west connector from the I-44 Tri-City area, which includes Newcastle, Blanchard, and Tuttle, then east to I-35 and then east to I-40, running through Moore and Norman. Both are part of the 15-year, $5 billion turnpike expansion plan called ACCESS Oklahoma.